By Alan Carasso
A field of 11 3-year-old colts is set to face the starter for Saturday's $226,404 Fukuryu Stakes, an 1800-meter allowance contest at Nakayama Racecourse that serves as the last of four legs on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and offers points on a 40-20-12-8-4 scale.
Luxor Cafe (American Pharoah) currently sits in pole position in the series, having earned 30 points when proving best in the Listed Hyacinth Stakes over Tokyo's one-turn, 1600-meter configuration on Feb. 23. A full-brother to dual G1 February Stakes winner Cafe Pharoah and campaigned by the latter's owner Koichi Nishikawa, the son of Mary's Follies (More Than Ready) set a juvenile course record when winning his maiden over a mile at headquarters Nov. 23 before tacking on a facile allowance victory over this course and distance Jan. 11. Joao Moreira takes over in the saddle here, where a victory or runner-up effort secures the bay colt the automatic berth in the Derby, but it may not all be straight-forward.
▼高松宮記念 本命候補①
🐴サトノレーヴ（想定2番人気）
理由① １週前追いはチャックネイト、ルクソールカフェとの３頭併せで手応え良く最先着。
初の左回りは未知数だが、フットワーク的には問題なさそう。フォロー&いいね20でどんどん更新してきます。
フォロー頂けると励みになります！ pic.twitter.com/OfpYc9t2In— ちゃぶ君の競馬サロン (@chab358x11) March 24, 2025
Fully eight of the 11 runners enter off a victory, including Imhotep (Jpn) (New Year's Day), who looks to take his record to a perfect three-from-three. Purchased for nearly $380,000 out of the JRHA Select Yearling Sale in 2023, the Northern Racing-bred colt graduated by nine lengths at first asking over track and trip Jan. 12 and added a three-length allowance score here just two weeks ago.
Golden Cloud (Cloud Computing) was a debut winner at Kyoto last October, then ran the G2 UAE Derby-bound Don in the Mood (Jpn) (Asia Express) to a neck in allowance company Jan. 6. The latter returned to be third in the Hyacinth, while Golden Cloud registered a similar finish behind the pacesetting Isana (Jpn) (Declaration of War) going this distance at Chukyo Jan. 26.
The 2024 Fukuryu Stakes was won by T O Password (Jpn) (Copano Rickey {Jpn}) in his second career start. Connections accepted the invitation to the Derby, where the colt ran an excellent fifth, 6 1/2 lengths behind Mystik Dan (Goldencents).
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